Yazaki has teamed with the SAE J1772 Working Group to define a standard connector interface for charging batteries in the next generation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with standard electrical power.

GE Aviation and Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd. (ST Aerospace) signed an agreement to seek opportunities to cooperate and complement each other’s core competencies, with the goal of offering cost-effective and enhanced solutions to customers of both companies.

Embraer selected B/E Aerospace to supply passenger seats for two new aircraft. The award is initially valued at more than $200 million. Embraer’s Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 are expected to enter service in the second half of 2012 and 2013, respectively, and are designed to provide exceptional comfort and low operating costs.

Fires started by faulty lithium batteries are a major concern for air freight haulers such as Federal Express, which teamed up with Ventura Aerospace to develop an electronics system that smothers fires with foam that lasts up to four hours.

Deere & Co. is investing $1 million to create a John Deere Technology Innovation Center with the University of Illinois to leverage the skills and knowledge of faculty and students in the areas of agriculture, business, engineering, and information technology.

Specialty vehicle maker Saleen has turned many mass-produced automobiles into high-performance alternatives. A current example is the transformation of the 300-hp (224-kW) V8 Ford Mustang into an extreme street machine.

An all-electric version, a hybrid, an all-wheel-drive variant; new technology to reduce aerodynamic noise; and sharper aesthetics that reflect those of the Scirocco Coupe will distinguish Volkswagen’s new model.

Kobelco Construction Machinery America is investing $10.5 million in its Calhoun, GA, operations. Approximately $5 million has been appropriated for production expansion into a new 52,000-ft2 (4830-­m2) building while an additional $1.5 million will be used to develop a new training center.

Boeing has cited a worldwide shortage of aerospace fasteners as one reason it has delayed the flight-test program of its 787, which is now in development. One of the main reasons there are shortages today is fastener manufacturers were forced to consolidate their operations earlier in the decade when orders dried up during the last downturn.

A serial hybrid drive axle concept for city buses, an independently suspended heavy-truck chassis concept, and revised automated and automatic transmissions are among the exhibits that ZF will be displaying at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hannover, Germany.

Extended field trials with Iveco Daily hybrid diesel/electric-powered vehicles are beginning in Italy, after the company delivered 10 Daily hybrids to express air delivery company FedEx Express. Iveco claims fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions reductions of up to 30% in urban driving cycles.

Volvo Powertrain will begin trials with dimethyl ether (DME) fueled trucks in Sweden between late 2009 and early 2010. The trials will involve 14 trucks, with funding from the Swedish Energy Agency and the European 7th Framework Program.

MAN will introduce wide-ranging changes to its diesel engines, trucks, and buses and will unveil new hybrid models at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hannover this September. The company will focus attention on engines that comply with Euro 5 and the voluntary European EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicles) emissions limits.

The British Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly and Secretary of State for the Environment Hilary Benn have set out the U.K. government’s approach regarding biofuels. The statement follows the publication of the “Gallagher Review,” commissioned by the U.K. government in February. The review was prompted by rising food prices and recent research into the effects of land-use change stimulated by the growing demand for biofuels.

Mercedes-Benz will launch the revised model at the IAA Hannover Show in September, incorporating a range of new safety features such as the company’s Active Brake Assist system first seen on the Actros heavy truck.

Bosch Rexroth announced plans to acquire all shares in Hägglunds Drives AB, based in Mellansel, Sweden. Hägglunds Drives is a supplier of complete hydraulic drive systems, separate drive motors, and services.

Volvo CE is investing SEK 341 million in a new paint shop in the company’s articulated hauler plant in Braås, Sweden. This investment will lead to an increase in capacity in the plant, a reduced impact on the environment, and added improvement in quality.

The Mahle Group has opened a new tech center in Jundiai, Brazil. The newly built 16,800-m2 (180,800-ft2) complex for research and development houses laboratories and test cells. During planning, construction, and operation of the new building, severe environmental restrictions were followed as the area is situated in the environmentally protected zone of the Japi mountains.